FD&C Yellow #6 Lake.
An orange-yellow pigment for tablet coating. Cosmetic only, no health benefits. It gives a tablet or capsule coating an orange-yellow shade, so a product looks the same in every batch and is easy to tell apart from the one next to it.
Reviewed March 2026
- Category
- General
- Also filed under
- Provides orange yellow tablet coloring
What FD&C Yellow #6 Lake is, and what it does.
- Does it work
- This is for the maker rather than the taker: it suits products where a consistent colour identifies the dose. Anyone avoiding synthetic colours will want to read the coating line.
- How much to take
- There is no daily amount to take. It is used in the coating at the level needed for shade, and no intake figure for it sits on our record.
- Time to feel it
- The pigment rides in the coating and passes through largely undissolved. It is there for shade rather than effect, so it has no onset of its own.
- The first dose
- Nothing changes in the body on day one. The pigment rides in the coating and passes through largely undissolved, doing its job the moment you can see the tablet.
- With regular use
- Weeks of use bring no physiological change from the colour itself. What it keeps doing is holding the shade steady, so a repeat bottle looks like the last one.
- How well tolerated
- FDA-approved. Part of the Southampton Six. Some manufacturing contaminant concerns.
- How it feels
- There is no sensation attached to a colourant. Its whole contribution is visual: the shade of the tablet sitting in your hand.
- The overlooked benefit
- Batch to batch colour consistency is how a repeat buyer recognises the right bottle on a shelf, and an insoluble pigment holds that shade better than a soluble dye in a coating.
The proof, claim by claim.
These words describe the research, not the molecule's worth. Research strength is how much work stands behind one claim, and it is never a product score.
- Part of Southampton Six linked to hyperactivity
- Well tolerated in adults at food-grade doses
Questions people ask about FD&C Yellow #6 Lake.
- What are the Southampton Six?
- Six artificial food dyes studied in a 2007 Lancet paper that showed a link to hyperactivity in children: Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, and three others.
- Should I avoid this for my child?
- A reasonable precaution, especially if your child has attention or hyperactivity issues. Many children's supplements now use natural colorants.
- What are the manufacturing contaminant concerns?
- Some azo dyes can contain trace amounts of problematic compounds from synthesis. FDA certification sets limits on these contaminants.
No pairing data for FD&C Yellow #6 Lake yet.
Nothing on file for FD&C Yellow #6 Lake, either from a combination trial or from settled biochemistry. When either lands, it appears here with its source.
Stitching two separate single-ingredient studies into a pairing is the one thing this engine will not do. When a study of the combination itself holds up at source, it lands here with its citation.
No invented synergy. Where actives were studied on their own rather than together, each shows on its own evidence, never a combined effect no trial measured.
Research strength. Research strength says how much work stands behind the combination. It is never a product score.
Independent record. Every finding is cited to a named trial, dated, and never written by the brand.
24 pairings are live across the library today. Checked 25 August 2026.
Talk to a doctor before taking FD&C Yellow #6 Lake if any of these apply to you: Azo dye, part of Southampton Six, May contain small amounts of known carcinogens as manufacturing contaminants. These are flags to check first, not effects FD&C Yellow #6 Lake is known to cause.
Not medical advice. Show the label to your pharmacist.Getting FD&C Yellow #6 Lake from food.
The whole-food sources on file. A supplement closes the gap, it does not replace dinner.
A gram-for-gram figure (how much of each you would eat to match a dose) will appear here once it is sourced and reviewed. This page will not print a number it cannot cite.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.
